Roller drive

ABSTRACT

A thread transfer roller used in chemistry or textile fiber machines is provided on the inner circumference of its tubular roller body with a plurality uniformly circumferentially spaced pockets of uniform size. The stationary spindle on which said tubular body is rotatably supported is provided with an enlargement having therein radial channels or a chamber connected with an axial channel in the spindle, whereby the radial channels of the chamber are in communication with inclined branch channels which when a pressure medium, such as compressed air, is introduced from an exterior source into said channels will be discharged into said pockets and cause said tubular roller body to rotate.

United States Patent Baumann 1 May 16, 1972 Karl-Heinz Baumann, Karlsruhe, Germany lndustrie-Werke Karlsruhe Augsburg Aktiengesell'schaft, Karlsruhe, Germany [22] Filed: Aug. 27, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 67,423

542,453 7/1895 Vernon ..415/91 969,070 8/1910 List ..415/91 1,264,132 4/1918 McCormick. .....415/9l 2,253,005 8/1941 Wittich ..415/91 2,359,177 9/1944 Warner ..415/91 Primary Examiner-C. J. Husar Attorney-Singer, Stern & Carlberg ABSTRACT A thread transfer roller used in chemistry or textile fiber machines is provided on the inner circumference of its tubular roller body with a plurality uniformly circumferentially spaced pockets of uniform size. The stationary spindle on which said tubular body is rotatably supported is provided with an enlargement having therein radial channels or a chamber connected with an axial channel in the spindle, whereby the radial channels of the chamber are in communication with inclined branch channels which when a pressure medium, such as compressed air, is introduced from an exterior source into said channels will be discharged into said pockets and cause said tubular roller body to rotate.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures ROLLER DRIVE The invention relates to a device for driving a roller, particularly a transfer roller for chemistry or textile fiber machines for the purpose of avoiding a break in the threads.

In chemistry and textile fiber machines it is frequently necessary to bring the transfer rollers to a predetermined circumferential speed in order to avoid the breaking of the threads. When the circumferential speeds are low, it is customary to start the rotation of the transfer rollers manually. It is obvious that this manual method in its application is restricted to very c close limits, the more so since of late the chemistry or textile fiber machines are operated with very high circumferential speeds.

Furthermore, it is known to start the drive of transfer rollers by applying the thread by means of thread-suction nozzles. This known method also can only be employed within certain limits since the reason for using this method is that it may only be used for small transfer rollers and thick threads, while on the other hand this method is not suitable for machines which are used for processing extremely thin chemical fibers which operate with high circumferential speed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a thread transfer roller which avoids the disadvantages of the known devices and at the same time has a simple construction and operation and is very dependable so that time consuming and expensive procedures caused by breaks of the fibers are avoided.

In accordance with the invention, the transfer roller is provided in its interior with a plurality of uniformly circumferentially spaced means to which the required kinetic energy is transmitted to the roller, whereby this kinetic energy is supplied by an axial passage in the spindle on which the roller is rotatively mounted.

Preferably the means for receiving the kinetic energy from the spindle comprise circumferentially arranged pockets or the like.

Another object of the invention is that the pocket-shaped recesses in the interior of the roller comprise portions of axially extending bores arranged parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller, whereby the depth of these bores is equal or greater than the diameter of the bores.

Still another object of the invention is that the pocketshaped recesses are arranged at that end of the roller which faces the bearing on the machine which supports the spindle on which the roller is mounted. Concerning the particular construction of the spindle on which the roller is mounted, particular attention was devoted to the fact that this spindle is provided with an enlargement and in this enlargement is provided a transverse bore forming an angle of 90 with the bore provided in the spindle. From the ends of these transverse bores extend channels which direct the kinetic energy to the pocket-shaped recesses in the roller.

In a particular embodiment of this arrangement the transverse bore is provided with rectangular branching channels or bores which extend tangential to the pocket-shaped recesses in the roller.

The drive of the roller is effected by kinetic energy, furnished substantially by a compressible medium, for instance, compressed air.

This construction of the roller of the invention has substantial advantages, among which are that the transfer roller is very simple in its construction because it is made of a very small number of individual parts which for all practical purposes are not subject to any wear. Furthermore, a particularly stability is obtained by antifriction bearings which are mounted on the spindle and rotatably support the tubular roller body of the roller.

The advantages are not limited to the ones already mentioned, but other advantages reside in the very simple operation, and in that a pressure medium supplied by the spindle furnishes at once the required kinetic energy for maintaining a constant speed of revolution. The starting pressure of the pressure medium may, for example, amount to 3 4 kp/cm and once the starting has commenced the desired constant circumferential speed may be maintained by a reduced pressure of 0.3 0.4 kp/cm so that in this manner a considerable amount of compressed air is saved. For further explaining the invention, reference is being made to the accompanying drawing which illustrates two embodiments of the device of the invention.

IN THE DRAWING FIG. 1 illustrates an axial sectional view of the transfer roller;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view along the line II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates in a side elevation view and partly in section a transfer roller which compared to FIG. 1 is equipped with a modified supply arrangement for the pressure medium; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. I, the spindle l is fixedly mounted in a bearing of a not-illustrated chemistry or textile fiber machine. The free end of the spindle 1 has mounted thereon two axially spaced antifriction bearings 2 which rotatably support the tubular body 3 of the transfer roller.

The end face 3a of the tubular roller body 3 which faces the machine is provided with a plurality of uniformly circumferentially spaced pocket-shaped recceses 3b or the like, all of which have the same size. These recesses constitute portions of bores which extend parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller body 3. The depth of these bores is equal to or greater than the diameter of the bores.

The stationary spindle l is provided with an axially extending bore la which terminates at a transverse bore 1d provided in an enlargement 1c of the spindle 1 and which is arranged at an angle of to the bore la. For reasons of simple manufacture, the transverse bore 1d extends almost diametrically across the entire enlargement 1c, but remains closed at one end and at the other end is closed by a plug 1e. From the ends of this transverse bore 1d extend branch bores or channels If and 1g, preferably at a right-angle to the bore 1d, in order to terminate into the pocket-shaped recesses 3b in the interior wall of the tubular body 3 of the roller.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3, all of the same parts appearing therein are provided with the same reference numeral as in FIG. 1. The axially extending bore la terminates in this modification, however, in a circular chamber 4 provided in the enlargement 1c of the spindle 1, whereby one end wall of the circular chamber 4 is closed by a collar 5 forming a part of one of the not-illustrated antifriction bearings. From the outer circumference of this circular chamber 4 extend a number of tangentially directed channels 1h toward the outer circumference of the enlargement 1c in order to discharge the pressure medium into the pockets 3b of the tubular body 3 of the transfer roller.

If now-as shown in the left-hand portion of the FIGS. 1 and 3-the axially extending bore la is supplied by a not-illustrated exterior source with compressed air, then this compressed air flows through the transverse bore 1d or the circular chamber 4, respectively, into the channels If and lg and 1h, respectively, and from there is discharged into the pockets 3b, so that the transfer roller is promptly started and rotates. If the transfer roller, for instance, has been started with a compressed air pressure of 3 4 kp/cm it will reach within a very short time the required circumferential speed, but for maintaining this circumferential speed constant, it is only necessary to provide a reduced pressure of about 0.3 0.4 kp/cm.

What I claim is:

l. A thread transfer device for chemical or textile fiber machines, comprising a tubular transfer roller, a stationary spindle extending axially through said tubular transfer roller, bearing means rotatably supporting said roller on said spindle, an axial extension of said spindle projecting from one end thereof and including a cylindrical portion of enlarged diamelarged diameter being provided with a plurality of passages extending from said bore to the outer surface of said spindle portion of enlarged diameter, said passages being tangential to said interior surface of the roller in one and the same direction, whereby streams of pressurized fluid may be supplied through said bore and passages to said recesses for driving said roller. 

1. A thread transfer device for chemical or textile fiber machines, comprising a tubular transfer roller, a stationary spindle extending axially through said tubular transfer roller, bearing means rotatably supporting said roller on said spindle, an axial extension of said spindle projecting from one end thereof and including a cylindrical portion of enlarged diameter located within an end portion of said roller, a plurality of part-cylindrical recesses in the interior surface of said roller extending axially of said roller inwardly from the end of said end portion thereof and being uniformly distributed circumferentially thereof, the axial length of said recesses being at least equal to the diameter thereof, said extension of the spindle being provided with a bore terminating within said spindle portion of enlarged diameter, and said spindle portion of enlarged diameter being provided with a plurality of passages extending from said bore to the outer surface of said spindle portion of enlarged diameter, said passages being tangential to said interior surface of the roller in one and the same direction, whereby streams of pressurized fluid may be supplied through said bore and passages to said recesses for driving said roller. 